{"id":17352,"date":"2022-09-13T00:54:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T16:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/uncrewed-blue-origin-suborbital-research-mission-cut-short-by-launch-anomaly\/"},"modified":"2022-09-13T00:54:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T16:54:59","slug":"uncrewed-blue-origin-suborbital-research-mission-cut-short-by-launch-anomaly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/uncrewed-blue-origin-suborbital-research-mission-cut-short-by-launch-anomaly\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncrewed Blue Origin suborbital research mission cut short by launch anomaly"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The New Shepard spaceship\u2019s booster flares during its ascent. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A booster misfire caused an early end today for an uncrewed suborbital space mission launched by Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture.<\/p>\n

It was the first Blue Origin mission to fall short of its goal since the first flight of the company\u2019s New Shepard suborbital spaceship in 2015. Blue Origin didn\u2019t immediately report what caused today\u2019s anomaly. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would oversee an investigation into the mishap and would eventually have to sign off on Blue Origin\u2019s return to flight.<\/p>\n

No people were aboard the spacecraft. Instead, this mission was dedicated to scientific payloads and STEM education. The New Shepard spaceship carried 36 payloads, half of which were funded by NASA, plus tens of thousands of postcards that were sent in by students and flown courtesy of Blue Origin\u2019s educational foundation. the Club for the Future.<\/p>\n

This was the first dedicated payload launch since August 2021, coming amid a string of six crewed suborbital flights that saw 31 customers and special guests (including Bezos himself) go to space and back.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s flight from Blue Origin\u2019s Launch Site One in West Texas started out following the same trajectory as the crewed missions. New Shepard\u2019s hydrogen-fueled booster sent the capsule into a clear sky after a series of launch-pad holds. <\/p>\n

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Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard rocket ship lifts off in West Texas. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But at about the 27,000-foot level \u2014 just after the rocket experienced maximum dynamic pressure, or Max-Q \u2014 the booster flared with a bright flash. Then the capsule\u2019s launch escape system kicked in, blasting the capsule further skyward while the burned-out booster fell away.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur crew capsule was able to escape successfully,\u201d launch commentator Erika Wagner said from Blue Origin\u2019s headquarters in Kent, Wash. In a follow-up tweet, Blue Origin said the capsule escape system \u201cfunctioned as designed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The capsule reached a maximum altitude of just a little more than 37,000 feet \u2014 far short of the target altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers). It deployed its parachutes and made a safe landing amid the Texas rangeland.<\/p>\n

\u201cSafety is our highest value at Blue Origin,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cIt\u2019s why we built so much redundancy into the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s payloads included a NASA-funded experiment aimed at testing hydrogen fuel cell technologies that could be used to power rovers and equipment on the moon\u2019s surface. Another experimental payload called ASSET-1 \u2014 which was built by Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin subsidiary \u2014 was meant to blaze a trail for studying soils on asteroids and other celestial bodies.<\/p>\n

Still other experiments were designed to study how zero-G affects phenomena ranging from ultrasonic sound waves to non-toxic propellant production. Because the capsule didn\u2019t follow its planned trajectory, today\u2019s experiments will probably have to be reflown on a future research mission.<\/p>\n

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